Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

 God’s people to be prepared for witness

Deuteronomy 6: 1-12
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Vs 4-5)

When reading Deuteronomy Chapter 5, we can read the presentation of the 10 commandments. But it has always come across our minds one time or another, out of these 10 commandments which one is the most important? You and I are not the only ones who has thought that! Famously, we know an expert of the law came and asked Jesus the same question in Matthew Chapter 22: 36-40. Jesus responds by citing the verses in this meditation. How can we use this simple command in our arsenal to be a faithful witness? Let us delve right into the passage and read the 3 ways that we are called to love the Lord.

Heart: The first call to love the Lord is with the heart. At first thought we might be thinking, we really think with our brains, why does He mention our heart? In most versions of the Bible the heart has been mentioned 826 times while the brain has been mentioned only once. In the Bible the heart is considered the seat of life or strength. Throughout the Bible, God has always called for the inside out approach, that is a relationship that starts from the inside. Jesus has said in Luke 6:45: “A good man says good things. These come from the good that is stored up in his heart”. God has called out the Israelites and told them to love Him from the heart and Jesus has echoed this statement. We are to have our desires, will, emotions and even our thoughts all for the love of our Lord. The heart symbolizes everything internal and with it we are declaring the love of the Lord. 

Soul: Like the heart, God is calling us to love Him with everything internal. The soul in this context refers to one’s whole being as a living person. In Genesis 2:7 we read, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”. This living soul should love the Lord with the way we talk, how we utilize our talents etc. Our entire being is to display how we love our Lord.

Strength: Loving the lord in strength means stepping out in faith. This often means stepping out of your comfort zone. It is doing things that are right even when people around us don’t understand. It is speaking up when we see injustice. It is even doing things that are right and good even when we don’t see any kind of reward.
 
Prayer
Dear God, help us each day to remember the ultimate sacrifice of love that You had done for us. Help us each day to love You with our heart, soul and strength. Help us to be a faithful witness for You.
 
Thought for the day
In reality, loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength is simply a response. For we love because He first loved us.
 
Oshin D Mathew
Carmel MTC, Boston

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more